According to court filings, Garcia-Chevrestt left the Springfield Sportsman’s Club in Monson on March 12, 2007 after finishing target practice with an AK-47. Gasperini began tailing the plaintiff’s Ford Explorer after he spotted it holding up traffic, swerving across center lines and the sidewalk and narrowly avoiding causing an accident.

Their trail spilled into Palmer, and Gasperini argued he tried to wait for back-up police from that town before removing the plaintiff from the car.

“The Plaintiff complied, but appeared intoxicated and was making unintelligible sounds,” police said in court filings. Police noted the automatic weapons (for which Garcia-Chevrestt had a license) and found nine partially empty liquor bottles in his car.

Garcia-Chevrestt was charged with drunken driving but the charges were later dropped when the evidence from the stop was suppressed because Monson officers had crossed town lines to make the arrest.

Both parties agreed officers had their guns drawn at some point during the stop. Police said Garcia-Chevrestt got a gash over his eye when he crumpled to the ground in a drunken stupor, while the plaintiff argued he was pushed and officers beat him.

U.S. District Judge Rya W. Zobel dismissed the charges against Arventos at the close of evidence.

Monson Police Chief Stephen Kozloski referred a reporter’s questions about the verdict to a Boston attorney, who did not return a call for comment.